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The Lord’s Prayer

Luke 11:1-4

Key verse 2

He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”

Introduction

Compared with other gospels, the author Luke speaks about more of the prayers of our Lord. Prayer is the expression of human dependence on God. The gospel of Luke depicts how Jesus prayed as a good example. Today we will study the Lord’s Prayer. In verses 2-4, Jesus taught his disciples what their prayer topics should be. In verses 5-10, Jesus taught them what kind of attitude they should have as they pray. In verses 11-13, Jesus taught them how God answers prayer. Today we will focus on the first part. Let's delve into the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Read verse 1. What did Jesus do? (1a) What might make one of his disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? (1b) Why do you think is it important to know how to pray?

1-1, Read verse 1.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

1-2, What did Jesus do? (1a)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished

We do not know the exact reason why Jesus prayed.
Considering the following verses 2-4, we may guess that he might have prayed to see God’s kingdom come and render glory to God’s name.
Maybe on the way to Jerusalem, he might have prayed to prepare himself for the upcoming cross and for his disciples.
At least we can learn from him who prayed always.
Here let's recall Jesus' prayers in Luke's gospel.
As Jesus was praying at baptism, he received the Holy Spirit, and the Father said to him.

Luke 3:21-23 read,

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus prayed to find and follow God's direction for him.

Luke 4:42-43 read,

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Mark 1:35 reads,

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Jesus prayed to receive power to preach, heal, and do miracles.

Luke 5:15-16 reads,

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Jesus prayed for wisdom to choose and raise his disciples. (Lk 6:12; 9:18,29).

Luke 6:12 reads,

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Luke 9:18 reads,

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

Luke 9:28-29 read,

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Jesus prayed to start a new day and before doing anything significant.
Up to this point, Jesus had not said much to his disciples about prayer.
But Jesus had done a lot of praying. Jesus set a living example of prayer for his disciples.

1-3, What might make one of his disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? (1b)

They must have realized that prayer was relevant with his spiritual power.
They might have sensed that prayer would be the source of his power.
They were further motivated by the example of John's disciples who were praying.
Perhaps they had noticed John's disciples praying while they were eating and sleeping.
So they came to Jesus in private and one of them asked "Lord, teach us to pray."
It is so called a "teachable moment." Jesus made the most of this opportunity.

1-4, Why do you think is it important to know how to pray?

Jesus taught them about how to pray further in Matthew’s gospel before teaching them the Lord’s prayer.

Matthew 6:5-8 read,

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

1 Corinthians 14:19 also reads,

But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

We often times ended up praying for wrong things and wasting our times. Even we get bad to worse through self centered or off tract prayers.
So care must be taken before we come to the Lord our Sovereign God with right attitude and proper prayer topics.
People say that if you want to know God, then you should pray. But putting the cart before the horse doesn’t work.
If we do not know something about God and His heart desire first, then we cannot pray properly.
If we do not have at least a minimal but biblical understanding about God, then we may be praying to an entity produced by your own imagination.
Thus if we want to know God, we can know him through studying the Bible, and praying to the God of the Bible.
We are thankful in that our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray and we have better understanding of his heart and come to know how to pray.

Read verse 2. How did Jesus tell them to call God? (2a) What is the first prayer topic? What does it mean by “Hallowed be your name”? What is the next prayer topic? Why are we to pray these two prayer topics as our priority?

2-1, Read verse 2.

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

2-2, How did Jesus tell them to call God? (2a)

According to its footnote, Father is “Our Father in heaven”.
Jesus taught them to call God as Father.
Calling God "Father" would have been revolutionary for the disciples those times.
God whom Jesus was referring to is the God of the Old Testament--the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of all peoples.
The Jewish people regarded this God as most holy. They would not speak his name publicly.
They believed that those who approached God irreverently would forfeit their lives.
But Jesus taught his disciples to call God "Father."
In Aramaic, "Father" is "Abba".
This indicates a relationship of intimacy, marked by affection on the part of the father and honor on the part of the child.
How can we sinful human beings call the holy God "Father"? Jesus made this possible for us.
After his resurrection, Jesus instructed Mary Magdalene to tell his disciples, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (Jn 20:17).
Those who receive Jesus by faith are given the right to be children of God (Jn 1:12-13).
The Spirit also testifies with our spirits that we are children of God. The Spirit enables us to call God "Abba, Father" (Ro 8:15).
Jesus gives us the right to call God "Father." The primary characteristics of this relationship are love and honor.
God loves us as his children, and he wants us to honor him as our Father.
Prayer begins with trusting the love of God, coming to God as we are, and having the assurance that he receives us.
Prayer also involves honoring God who made us, saves us, provides for us, protects us, guides us, and disciplines us for our good.
Prayer is not a burdensome ritual, but meeting God personally and enjoying his presence.
However, there is a problem for many contemporary people due to undesirable image of fathers. But God is not like human fathers who are weak and sinful.
God is perfect in love, wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, and all virtues.
God always loves his children in a way that brings them life and blessing. God's children enjoy a deep sense of security and happiness in him.

2-3, What is the first prayer topic?

Hallowed be your name

2-4, What does it mean by “Hallowed be your name”?

The word “Hallow” means to regard(honor) as holy and sacred, to revere.
God is not a created being, but the Almighty Creator who made all things.
God is perfect and so awesome and pure that even the holy angels cover their faces with their wings in his presence (Isa 6:2).
God is the very source of life itself.
God's holiness and power are utterly transcendent.
God is "holy, holy, holy" (Isa 6:3). So we must acknowledge him with deep respect, and with awe and trembling.
God delights to be honored by his children. As we admire him in praise and adoration, we enter into a joyful spiritual relationship that transcends this world.
It reminds of God’s 10 commandments, especially the first three about how to show respect for our living God.

Exodus 20:3-7 read,

“You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

2-5, What is the next prayer topic?

Your kingdom come

According to its footnote or Matthew 6:10, there is more to pray: “Your will be done, on earth as it is heaven.”
This is the anchor part of the Lord's Prayer. It is what God wants most to happen in this world.
It is our Lord's own prayer request. But what does it mean? In the first place, it means to welcome God's King into our own hearts.

Luke 17:21-22 reads,

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

He is Jesus Christ. He does not force his kingship on anyone.
But when we willingly invite him in, he enters our hearts and drives out all the power of sin and death.
He rules us with life and peace. His reign transforms us in his own glorious image.
Then we can think and speak and act like him, doing things that make his world beautiful, orderly and fruitful for his glory.
However, the kingdom of God is much more than our own personal experience of Christ's reign.
Again according to the footnote, we should pray that God's will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Christ wants to reign over families and communities and nations as we live in this world.
When the Holy Spirit came upon the early Christians, they formed a beautiful community of love.
They opened their homes to one another and ate together joyfully. They shared their material possessions with those in need so that no one was lacking.
They prayed for the spread of the gospel and the salvation of the world. Their joy overflowed and many great miracles were done among them.
It was a snapshot picture of the kingdom of God on earth.

2-6, Why are we to pray these two prayer topics as our priority?

Let's pray for God’s name to be glorified(honored as holy) and God's kingdom to come. These prayer topics came from Jesus himself.
With this hope we can always pray, "Hallowed be your name and your kingdom come."
Our prayer should not be self-centered, or ministry-centered.
Our prayer should be God-centered. Our prayer should be, "...your kingdom come."

Read verse 3. Why do we ask our daily bread each day? What could be our daily bread?

3-1, Read verse 3.

Give us each day our daily bread.

3-2, Why do we ask our daily bread each day?

When we call God "Father," we are no more slaves of bread who toil for three meals a day.
We are children of the Creator God. Our main concern is for his kingdom to come. Then our gracious Father God will supply our material needs generously.
But he wants us to ask. So we must pray, "Give us each day our daily bread."
Otherwise, we become anxious and miserable. When we trust God and pray, he supplies our needs, and our souls find rest.
Jesus taught us to pray for "our" daily bread. This means that we must be mindful of the material needs of our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
We must be mindful of others in the body of Christ, as well as all people who are in material need.

3-3, What could be our daily bread?

Daily bread refers to those physical necessities of life. For most people this usually refers to food, clothing and shelter.
On top of our physical need, daily bread may refer to our spiritual food, Jesus himself.

John 6:32-51 read,

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” 41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” 43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Jesus did not teach we should pray for our yearly or even monthly bread but our daily bread.
Jesus wants us to put trust in God for his absolute provision.
By faith we are able to live a mission centered life rather than to live a life of fear in order to survive.
May the Lord help us to pray by faith and continue to serve one to one.

Read verse 4. On what basis can we ask God to forgive our sins? Why do we ask God to help us to not lead into temptation? What can we learn from the Lord’s prayer?

4-1, Read verse 4.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

4-2, On what basis can we ask God to forgive our sins?

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

Matthew 6:14-15 read,

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

To live in God's presence, we need the grace of forgiveness daily.
Without forgiveness, we feel dead and trapped. We can fall into depression and despair.
But when we ask for forgiveness, God hears and answers and restores our relationship with him.
Then we can live joyfully in his presence. As we enjoy this grace, we must also forgive everyone who sins against us.
This is one of hardest things for human beings to do.
But we must remember that Christ shed his blood to forgive our terrible sins.
Then our hearts become tender and we can forgive others. Those who don't forgive suffer terribly.
As they hold a grudge it becomes bitter poison in their souls. The one who suffers most is not the unforgiven one, but the unforgiving one.
Practicing forgiveness sets us free to live in God's grace and mercy by knowing our God who loves us first while we are still sinners.

4-3, Why do we ask God to help us to not lead into temptation?

We must ask God's help before temptation comes.
Then God remembers this prayer and helps us to avoid temptation that could damage us badly.
These days the devil tempts many young people to commit sins of sexual immorality and substance abuse.
Though he promises pleasure and excitement, he delivers great pain and spiritual death.
Still, this temptation is so strong in our time that it seems no one can avoid it.
But there is a way. We can pray, "Lead us not into temptation." Then God will help us find a way out.

4-4, What can we learn from the Lord’s prayer?

Let us share one thing that we learned from the Lord’s prayer.

We also sing a song “The Lord’s Prayer” at the end of each Sunday Worship Service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HaEoCqH47Y

Conclusion

Today we are very thankful in that Jesus taught us how to pray. Often times we do not know what to pray and how to pray. However our Shepherd Jesus helps us to know them clearly. May the Lord help us to render glory to our Father in heaven and to have earnest desire to see God’s kingdom come through asking our daily bread and practicing sin forgiveness. Amen.

One word: God’s Kingdom come!